John Lennon was a founding member of the Beatles who went on to have a successful solo career until his death in 1980. The document provides biographical details of Lennon's life and career from the formation of the Beatles in the late 1950s through the peak of their popularity in the 1960s, their breakup and solo work in the 1970s, and Lennon's murder in 1980 just after the release of his successful comeback album "Double Fantasy." It also describes the social and cultural context of the 1960s, including the rise of rock music and its influence, as well as key world events during Lennon's lifetime.

1. Rock Legends: John Lennon
Rock Genius or Devil’s Disciple?

2. John Lennon 1940-1980

3. Questions to consider tonight
Does John Lennon merit either title?
Why still the interest – on both sides – 27
years after his death?
What exactly did John Lennon mean to
the world – what legacy did he leave
behind?

4. First: Who were we?
Who were we in 1963?
Radio
TV
Home
Abroad

5. Radio
AM – very few FM stations.
Top forty format – but ‘we’ baby
boomers didn’t define top 40 – yet!
Only the major cities featured radio
stations that were ‘all’ rock!
Still news every hour
Also, it got very quiet after midnight!
(Most radio stations signed off at
midnight.)

6. TV
Three networks – NO cable!
Network News just expanded to 30 min
TV recognized the Boomers – with
cartoons and kids shows.
Shows aimed at teenagers had not yet
occurred, except for American
Bandstand. (But that would change
very soon, in large part because of the
Beatles.)

7. Cars
Chevrolet Impala
In 1963, sold for
under $2900!
But credit wasn’t
easy – and who
bought new???
PS: Don’t look for air conditioning, FM
radio, or power windows or power locks!
(Some did have power steering!)

8. Home
TV taking hold – but only 1 per
house!
Automatic “washers”
Refrigerators (not “ice boxes”)
Air Conditioning not yet standard at
home

9. Home, part II
Where was home?
America was moving to the suburbs
(or around here, off the farm!)
(Ozzie & Harriet clip)

10. On the TV - News
Space Race! Glenn Orbits!
Fallout Fears!
Berlin Wall – 1962
(newsreel clip)

11. On the TV - News
‘Black unrest’ –
Freedom Riders Attacked
James Meredith at ‘Ole Miss’
(video clip)

12. On the TV - News
Cuban Missile Crisis – 1962
(newsreel clip)
Viet-Where?
(news clip)

13. On the TV - News
JFK assassinationJFK assassination
We lost a vital and excitingWe lost a vital and exciting
young President – but foryoung President – but for
millions of Americans, it wasmillions of Americans, it was
really the day we lost ourreally the day we lost our
innocence.innocence.

14. On the TV - Entertainment
Westerns are still
riding high this
year:
Rawhide (1959-66)
Wagon Train (1957-65)
The Virginian (1962-71)
Bonanza (1959-73)
Gunsmoke (1955-75)

15. On the TV - Entertainment
But there is a new
wave on the way:
The Fugitive starts his
4 year ‘run.’
Combat! starts second
year.
Route 66 heading for
the last lap.

16. Home, Part II
Average income: $6,200
B&W TV: $399
Color TV: $500 and up

17. Home, Part II
4 track Reel to Reel
recorder: $249.95
Clock Radio (!): $49.95Clock Radio (!): $49.95

18. Home, Part III
And truly high-tech:
The Transistor Radio!The Transistor Radio!
$19.95 in$19.95 in
1963.1963.

19. On the Radio – Top 25
1. Surfin' U.S.A., Beach Boys
2. Sugar Shack, Jimmy Gilmer and The
Fireballs
3. The End Of The World, Skeeter
Davis
4. Rhythm Of The Rain, Cascades
5. Hey Paula, Paul and Paula
6. Blue Velvet, Bobby Vinton
7. He's So Fine, Chiffons
8. Fingertips II, Little Stevie Wonder

20. On the TV – News Part II
March on Washington 1
March on Washington 2
Eyes on the Prize

21. Important Dates
Lennon born October 9, 1940
Meets Harrison, McCartney – late
1950’s
Jan 1, 1962 – Decca Audition
April 10, 1962 – Stu Sutcliffe dies

22. 1962
August – Pete Best out – enter Ringo
August 23, 1962 – John marries
Cynthia Powell
September – George Martin signs the
Beatles to EMI
October 5, 1962 – single “Love Me Do”
Released

23. 1963
February 16 –
“Love Me Do”
tops Brit Pop
charts
April - Release
first album
“Please Please
Me” (British Clip)

24. 1964
February 7 – The
Beatles land at
Kennedy Airport
and retake the
colonies!
(Sullivan Clip)

25. 1964
March 31 – US Top 10
1) Can’t Buy Me Love
2) Twist and Shout
3) She Loves You
4) I Want to Hold Your
Hand
5) Please Please Me Plus numbers 16, 44,
49, 69, 78, 84 and 88
in the top 100!

26. Dates
Hard Days Night
– 1964
June 12, 1965 -
“Being awarded
the MBE – I can’t
believe it! I
thought you had
to drive tanks and
win wars!”

27. 1965
A Spaniard in the
Works available
at all fine book
stores!
August 15, 1965:
Beatles at Shea
Stadium
December – last
tour of England

28. 1966
August: Beatles
last tour of US
“The Beatles are
bigger than Jesus
Christ” ignites
controversy -
and hundreds of
albums go up in
flames.

29. 1967
The Beatles go
Mystical –
George meets
the Maharishi for
the first time in
February.

30. 1967
February
-Without tours,
Penny Lane b/w
Strawberry Fields
does NOT reach
number 1!
June 1 - “Sgt.
Pepper” debuts
“All You Need is
Love” puts them back
at number 1 in June.
(clip)

31. 1968
April - Travel to
India bombs
August 30 –
“Hey Jude”
hammers the
charts.
 November – 1st
non-group effort –
George’s
Wonderwall.

32. 1968
April – Apple
launches
August – Paul
parts with Jane
Asher
November, John
divorces Cynthia

33. 1968
November 29 -
John releases “Two
Virgins” with he
and Yoko in the
buff on the cover!

34. 1969
January 30 – The
Beatles perform
in public one last
time – on the roof
of Apple Records!
John and Yoko
release
Unfinished Music
(clip)

35. 1969
September –
Abbey Road
debuts
November - John
and Yoko release
the “Wedding
Album”

36. 1970
May 8, 1970 –
“Let It Be”
Recorded before
“Abbey Road” it
is the last
released
Beatles Album

37. 1970
December 11,
1970 – “Plastic
Ono Band”

38. 1971
October 2,
1971 –
“Imagine”

39. 1971
August - John and Yoko move to
New York City.
Almost immediately John
becomes the focus of an effort
by the U.S. Government to
deport him as an ‘undesirable
alien.’

40. 1972
September 16,
1972 –
“Sometime in
New York City”

41. 1973
March – Lennon ordered to leave
US.
John’s response?
“Peace and love, John and Yoko.”

42. 1973
November 10,
1973 – “Mind
Games”
(Fitting title - the
US Gov. is
playing the same
mind games with
Lennon as they
did with MLK.)

43. 1974
February - Press Reports John
and Yoko have split. Lennon’s
“Lost Weekend” stretches for 18
months.
July – Lennon ordered to leave
US within 60 days or be
deported.

44. 1974
September –
“Walls and
Bridges”
This is Lennon’s
last album of
new material
until Double
Fantasy in
1980

45. 1974
December – John, back in form,
jams onstage with his friend
Elton John at Madison Square
Garden.
(John had agreed to do so if
Elton’s version of Lucy in the Sky
with Diamonds hit #1.)

46. 1975
February–
“Rock ‘N’ Roll”
Almost didn’t
happen –
producer Phil
Spector didn’t
want to give
John the tapes!

47. 1975
October –
“Shaved Fish”
- a one disk
collection of
most of John’s
best solo work.

48. 1975
Lennon prevails!

49. 1975
Lennon prevails – he can stay!
Memos uncovered using the
Freedom of Information Act
powers show Lennon was “being
selectively prosecuted for
political purposes by the Nixon
administration.”

50. 1980
“Double
Fantasy,” easily
one of his best
albums, is
released Nov 17,
1980

51. 1980
On December 8, 1980, returning home from
mixing singles at the Record Plant studio,
John Lennon is shot at 10:50 PM.
John Lennon is declared dead at 11:15 PM.

52. 1980

53. Questions to consider tonight
What exactly did John Lennon mean to
the world? What legacy did he leave
behind?
Had he lived, would he would be like Sir
Mic, Sir Paul, or Sir Elton?
By Tukila Karina